PHILADELPHIA, February 2 – Today, Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Everett Gillison announced a new partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Re-entry (MORE), Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey & Philadelphia, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Knight Foundation has pledged $1.4 million to the program over three years. Goodwill Industries will establish a transitional sheltered workshop program for ex-offenders participating in the newly created Mayor’s Managed Reintegration Network (MRN.) The Mayor’s MRN will provide oversight of the sheltered workshop, case management, job retention and additional job training to help ensure a smooth transition to permanent employment for those individuals employed by Goodwill.
“I am thrilled to be partnering with Goodwill Industries and Knight Foundation to put ex-offenders back to work,” said Mayor Nutter. “Simply put, having a job makes an ex-offender less likely to recidivate.”
Goodwill’s Sheltered Workshop Model has been used to serve special needs populations for years. The sheltered workshop model, in its most basic form, solicits contract work from various companies for tasks including assembly, packaging, inspection, and bulk mailings. Goodwill then employs the specific population (in this case, ex-offenders) to perform the contract work.
In the workshop, ex-offenders will receive hands-on light industrial training while earning a paycheck and building a resume. They will also have access to support services including life skills, individualized case management; and job search and placement assistance.
When considered job ready, sheltered workshop participants will be placed into competitive jobs in the community. Once hired, they will continue to receive follow-up services including a case manager, a life coach, a faith-based mentor and a retention specialist.
This model has proven itself to be financially and programmatically efficient, and more importantly can put ex-offenders to work quickly. Theoretically, an ex-offender could be released from prison and employed on the same day.
“Goodwill has a more than 60 year history of helping local residents with special needs gain the marketable job skills needed to get to work and is committed to helping this population do the same by breaking down as many barriers as possible, said Mark. B. Boyd, President & CEO of Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey & Philadelphia. “Meaningful work truly has the power to transform individuals, families and communities one job at a time.”
This sort of “rapid attachment” of the prisoner to the greater working community is though to be the best chance for sustained “prison to work” model
“We’d be hard pressed to craft a more ideal partnership in which to invest. Goodwill brings an incredible track record of lifting people into the world of work,” said Matt Bergheiser, Philadelphia Program Director, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. “And the Nutter Administration offers an unbending commitment to take this effort to scale and make major reductions in recidivism.”
The sheltered workshop is located at 455-473 N. 7th Street in Philadelphia. Support staff will also be headquartered in this facility, which encompasses 19,472 square feet. This opportunity will offer a “rolling” 100 – 400 employment slots for the formerly incarcerated persons who are participating in the Mayor’s Managed Reintegration Network.
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About Goodwill Industries of Southern NJ & Philadelphia
A nonprofit, community-based organization, Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey & Philadelphia’s mission is to provide education, job training and employment services that prepare individuals with disabilities and disadvantages for competitive employment. Put quite simply, Goodwill puts people to work. The mass collection and resale of donated goods in Goodwill’s 16 area retail stores fund these programs while contributing to America’s recycling efforts. For more information on Goodwill, please visit www.goodwillnj.org or call 856/439-0200.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of the U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects with the potential to create transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.